What does one do when heroes of Indian origin are praised and given accolades for their professional prowess, but in the same breath, embarrassed and belittled because they are not Indians? Why is our country the first to take an NRI or PIO’s accomplishments and brandish it proudly as its own, yet label them outsiders? When
chess maestro Vishwanathan Anand was asked whether he was an Indian or a Spaniard due to our bureaucratic ignorance, minister Kapil Sibal apologised. Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul too faced bureaucratic problems when he wanted Indian citizenship.
At a time when our country’s sports associations are wooing players of Indian origin, the rules are dogmatic. Tennis player Prakash Amritraj, Vijay Amritraj’s son, is also hassled by a citizenship quandary. The sports ministry’s policy is that only Indian citizens can represent the country in international competition. As Prakash lives in the US and holds an American passport, he couldn’t play in the Davis Cup.
Many atheletes suffer in silence because India does not offer dual citizenship, even though it is the first to ride the “proud” bandwagon of accolades that a person (of Indian origin) has got. Is it a matter of principle or double standards?
How Indian are you?
Recently Shahrukh Khan penned his thoughts on a micro blogging website after the Vishwanathan Anand fiasco: “It would be silly if it wasn’t so tragic asking Vishy Anand for Indianness. (sic).”
In this lies a deeper problem. That of identity and the problems faced by many. Actress Katrina Kaif is a British-Indian. Model Yana Gupta and many actors in the Indian film industry are foreigners choosing to work in India. Singer-songwriter Lucky Ali is a New Zealand citizen. There are many business minds who live abroad but call themselves Indian.
Famous US-based novelist Richard Crasta believes, “It is wrong to deny any Indian-born-and-brought-up citizen, whose parents are Indians, a citizenship for any reason except for joining an enemy country’s army or terrorist organisation. The government is just a bunch of people like you and me. It has no right to take away what is an inherent and natural right, and if they do so, it is mostly for the purpose of harassment and control, most of which yields bribes and other forms of power.”
India does not have any provision for dual citizenship though it does provide a People of Indian Origin Card and an Overseas Citizen of India card. This makes it an uphill task for any individual who was not born here.
Archaic signals
Artist Raghava KK is an NRI and is based in the United States. His wife Nethra, his children and he himself are PIO card holders. As an NRI with an Indian passport, he too has faced problems. He feels, “India has to get over its attitude to NRIs. It has to see NRIs as Indian ambassadors. We all feel Indian. Today, the world is so small that having terms such as ‘non-resident Indian’ is archaic, especially considering the innumerable Indians who live in multiple countries.”
While Crasta is of the opinion that no one has the right to refuse anyone a nationality, he thinks that the “rich and powerful” get away but it is the common man that suffers.
Speaking about Indian procedures, Raghava says, “Getting a four month-old baby out of India was a ridiculous affair. I had to get a good character certificate from our neighbours, including his ‘employment records’ and what not! After a ridiculous amount of paperwork, we were granted an exit permit for my son. He had to leave India within 48 hours of receiving the permit.”
All for a profession
Billiards champion Nalin Patel was not allowed to represent India at the Busan Asian Games in 2002 as he had a British passport. Like Nalin, there are many who try and circumvent our laws to gain access to Indian nationality while also living or being born elsewhere. Former Olympic swimmer Nisha Millet feels that unless a person of India origin has shown his or her worth, no special consideration should be given. “There was a girl called Sangeetha Rani who was a US citizen who had never visited India. She came here, managed to go for the ‘96 Olympics. She was never seen again. People like that should not be allowed.”
She feels Vishwanathan Anand, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati spend most of the time training out of the country but cherish their Indian ties. She also gives the example of other top athletes who train abroad, like Shiv Kapur, who love their country and are still very true to the country.
The NRI chant
Most NRIs demand dual citizenship as they feel Indian but live elsewhere. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel recently backed NRIs’ demands of dual citizenship. How pertinent this will be to a change in conservative Indian policies remains to be seen.
According to Saurabh Kirpal, advocate in the Supreme Court of India, “One has options getting a PIO card if they are of Indian descent or Overseas Citizen of India, but it is not a full right of citizenship. They cannot vote or stand for elections. If you are a citizen of another country, you cannot also be a citizen of India.”
Everyone feels a sense of patriotic fervour when talking about the country they belong to, and Kirpal agrees, “The most emotive link to belonging is the right to vote. While NRIs have Indian nationality and the right to vote, those of Indian descent do not. They are, in some cases, not allowed to buy agricultural land and stand for elections.” Taking a cue from the West might be the answer, according to him, “Most European nationals can have dual citizenship. The countries don’t care what nationality it is, they give an individual all the rights. There is no reason why we can’t introduce dual nationality, it is the way forward. Europe, France and Gemany have all gotten around it, why can’t India?”